We have been enjoying warmer temperatures for a while now, but summer does not officially start until the end of June. Although for many webshops the months of July and August are a lot quieter, this period is perfect for giving your brand a boost. If you invest in your visibility during the summer months, you can benefit from this investment when it gets busier again. How? With these 4 tips! Are you reading this?
1. Focus on social media.
Instagram and Facebook are the perfect channels to reach your target group during summer. We go out in droves and there is nothing better than checking your social media channels while lying on the beach or by the pool. So this is the perfect time to draw attention to your summer articles. Do you sell cosmetics? Then share the story behind your most popular sunscreen. Do you sell books? Then promote the bestsellers that you absolutely cannot afford to miss this holiday. Share summery and cheerful content to entice your customers or target your audience with a paid campaign. Make sure you differentiate yourself from your competition by standing out. You can do this in a number of ways:
Let your brand come to life.
If you want to turn your customers into real fans, then posting content about your products is not enough. It is important to focus on the experience surrounding your brand. You do this by going the extra mile for your customers and offering a personal service. Does a loyal customer have a complaint and do you make it right in a unique way? Share it!
Tell your story.
Communiceer nog persoonlijker richting jouw klanten door een verhaal te vertellen. Ben jij op een bijzondere manier geïnspireerd om jouw Communicate to your customers on an even more personal level by telling a story. Have you been inspired in a special way to start your business? Or have you learned interesting things in your journey as an entrepreneur? Share these stories with your followers! You can also share what is on your mind. If you sell books, share that you are reading a bestseller on the beach, so your followers will get to know you better. However, take into account the platform on which you tell your story. On Instagram, you can communicate better with images, while Facebook is the ideal platform for setting up a live stream.
Engagement? Yes, please.
Nothing creates higher engagement than fun contests. Devise an original campaign to activate your customers. If you sell summer clothes, ask your followers to share a photo of their favourite summer outfit and tag your account. The customer with the most original photo wins a voucher. In addition, posting stories is also the perfect way to increase your engagement. Stories are visible for 24 hours and give you the opportunity to communicate in a more personal way. You can give customers a look behind the scenes via stories, but you can also ask for their opinion. Ask a question or post an interesting poll to get to know your followers better.
Want to know more or advertise on Instagram? In this blog, we explain the possibilities of advertising on Instagram and how you can reach your target audience.
2. Keep e-mailing.
Most people do not read their e-mail very carefully during the holidays, which means that you will notice that the open rates of your mailings will drop. However, some of your customers have more time to read their mail during the holiday period, leading to extra traffic to your webshop. Inspire your customers with an e-mail full of summer items, a sharp discount or a big sale. Make sure you cannot be missed.
Tip! Now that you have some extra time, it can be valuable to thank your customers for their loyalty or use them to acquire new fans. Thank your customers by sending them a discount code or a tell-a-friend mailing. With a tell-a-friend mailing, you can ask your most satisfied customers to draw the attention of an acquaintance to your web shop. Make sure that your tell-a-friend action is completely AVG-proof. Read more about the regulations concerning the tell-a-friend principle here.
3. Respond to events.
As we slowly leave the corona era behind us, holidays, events and weddings will soon be possible again. A large proportion of your customers will participate again and you can capitalise on that. Highlight your best festival outfits, put your most beautiful event decorations in the spotlight or praise the most useful holiday gadgets.
4. Plan ahead.
As a final tip, we recommend that you start focusing on the autumn during the summer period. The last months of the year are often good e-commerce months. During this period, you should be visible and actively communicate to your target group. Think about a nice autumn campaign. But you can also use the summer period to realise some of your plans right away. If you have always wanted to start using TikTok or Snapchat or expand your knowledge about Online Marketing, now is the time.
In short: don’t let the summer period pass you by quietly and pay some extra attention to your e-mail and social media campaigns. Think of fun actions that your target group won’t want to miss and use the extra time you have to make new plans or pick up plans you still wanted to realise. You have the key to success in your own hands!
Wondering how you can stand out in the autumn? Read here how you can surprise your customers in an original way.